COVID-19 pneumonia successfully managed with high-flow nasal cannula in a 15-year-old boy

Gap van Gorp*, Pjlt Sanders, D A van Waardenburg, Monique Engel

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

We report an otherwise healthy, fully immunised 15-year-old boy who was transferred to our Pediatric intensive care unit with 4 days of fever, dry cough, increased work of breathing and impending respiratory failure. Two days prior, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid was prescribed for lower airway symptoms resembling pneumonia. PCR of the nasopharyngeal swab revealed an active COVID-19 infection (Ct 19). The CT scan showed significant ground-glass opacities highly associated with COVID-19 (COVID-19 reporting and data system 4). Antibiotics were continued and chloroquine was given for 5 days. High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) was started as respiratory support therapy with rapid decrease of tachypnoea and oxygen demand. HFNC was successfully stopped after 7 days. The patient made full clinical recovery. This case illustrates HFNC as a successful respiratory support therapy in a paediatric patient with an active COVID-19 pneumonia.

Original languageEnglish
Article number239682
Number of pages4
JournalBMJ case Reports
Volume14
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12 Apr 2021

Keywords

  • Adolescent
  • COVID-19/therapy
  • Cannula
  • Humans
  • Intensive Care Units, Pediatric
  • Male
  • Noninvasive Ventilation
  • Nose
  • Oxygen Inhalation Therapy
  • INFECTIONS
  • paediatric intensive care
  • pneumonia (respiratory medicine)

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